I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Seeing the enemy retreat, the Pomeranian pressed its advantage. Although its movements were restricted by the iron cage, it did not stop its loud barking. This barking seemed to trigger a chain reaction. Kiyoshiro and Yukinoshita, who were in the center of the small dog exhibition area, were immediately drowned out by the barking. Yukinoshita's shoulder was close to Kiyoshiro's shoulder, and Kiyoshiro could clearly feel Yukinoshita's trembling through the other's thin arm.

At this moment, disregarding any potential breach of etiquette, Kiyoyori tucked the cat under his left arm and put his right arm around Yukinoshita's shoulder before walking outside. Kiyoyori lightly rested his wrist on Yukinoshita's shoulder, his hand hovering in the air in a protective gesture, separating the crowd from Yukinoshita.

Yukinoshita's appearance was unexpected, but also reasonable. How could someone as fond of cats as her miss such a grand event? However, the cat area could only be reached by passing through the dog exhibit area, which suggests that Yukinoshita is not very good at dealing with dogs.

Kiyoshi glanced at Yukinoshita, who seemed to follow Kiyoshi's steps closely, as if her soul had left her body.

"Are you alright, senior?"

Having left the dog exhibit area, Kiyoyori immediately withdrew his hand and stood beside Yukinoshita, waiting for her to come to her senses.

In the middle of the cat and dog exhibit area, there is a rest area with a semi-open café counter. Several small round tables are placed in front of the counter. There are not as many people here as in the exhibit area. Most people are sitting in their seats, talking quietly with their companions.

Yukinoshita placed a hand on her heaving chest to calm her breathing. "I'm fine, thank you, Tachibana-san."

It must be said that being with Tachibana is comfortable; she maintains just the right distance and is considerate. Even in such a chaotic environment, she maintains her composure.

"You're welcome, senior. I'm going to the cat area too."

Kiyoshi didn't mention Yukino's earlier lapse in behavior at the dog exhibition area, but simply glossed over the little incident.

"Do you need to rest at the bar?" Kiyotaka held up the cat carrier. "Tuanzi was quite frightened too, so I thought I'd let her rest a bit before she gets another fright."

"Alright."

After a moment's thought, Yukinoshita understood Kiyori's implication and tacitly agreed to travel with him.

She wasn't interested in Tachibana Kiyori; she was just more interested in the dumplings in Tachibana Kiyori's hands.

Before Kiyoyori could even take out his wallet, Yukinoshita paid the bill first, and the two found a relatively quiet place to sit down.

She took the shivering little dumpling, curled up into a ball, out of the cat carrier. The little guy immediately clung to Kiyoshiro's collar with his paws and clung tightly to his owner. Yukinoshita's gaze never left the little dumpling.

Seeing the longing in Yukinoshita's eyes, Kiyoshiro tried to hand the dumpling to her, but unexpectedly encountered an unprecedentedly fierce resistance from the dumpling. It grabbed Kiyoshiro's expensive shirt and refused to let go. Kiyoshiro, afraid of tearing the shirt on the spot, did not dare to use too much force and could only give Yukinoshita an apologetic smile as she looked at the dumpling.

"I'm sorry, Tuanzi was a little startled."

“It’s alright,” Yukinoshita immediately composed herself, as if everything that had just happened was Kiyori’s illusion. “Did Tachibana-san bring Yui to participate in this cat show competition?”

"Huh? A competition?"

Yukino took out a promotional poster with the title "Beauty Pageant" written in bold on it.

"Every year, a beauty contest for domestic cats is held here. The prize seems to be a free grooming session. Apparently, staff members will teach owners how to groom their cats, which is also a great opportunity to strengthen the bond between owners and their cats."

"Beauty event? Is this what you mean?"

Qinglai took out the voucher from his pocket and compared it carefully. It seemed to be exactly the same as the first prize marked on the poster.

"Why does Tachibana-san have this invitation card?"

"A hospitality voucher?" Kiyoyori frowned, suddenly recalling the meaningful smile her mother had given her when she saw her off. "My mother got it from a friend..."

Why do I suddenly smell a conspiracy?

"stare--"

Yukinoshita's eyes were fixed on Kiyori, or rather, on the dumpling in Kiyori's arms.

"Um...why don't we join together...?"

P.S.: Some people seem concerned about whether Kiyoyori might overwork himself. Don't worry, his mother wouldn't do such a thing. Actually, the brass band and the service club have different priorities. After reading Volume 2, you might notice that there are very few scenes involving requests; it's either the two main characters' interactions (commonly known as "sweet moments") or mostly brass band scenes, including the shorter Volume 3. However, Volume 4 will see a shift. With the changes in the service club's relationships and the end of the national tournament, I will shift the focus to the service club, specifically Kiyoyori's relationship with Yukino and the world line descriptions. The brass band scenes will decrease, and the emotional connections with other characters will be resolved in Volume 4. Overall, Volume 4 should be the concentrated area for Kiyoyori's emotional outbursts with those around him. As for the game club... just consider it a minor interlude. I don't know why I wrote Kiyoyori to join in the original outline, but it's harmless and doesn't need to be taken too seriously.

By the way, I might need to take a day off this Friday. I have to rush to a hospital in Shanghai early in the morning because I have an elective surgery and need to have a routine check-up. Due to the pandemic, this check-up has been delayed for a long time. I apologize to everyone for that. After finishing Volume 2, I will consider writing a sweet multi-couple side story first. Also, for those who want to join the group, please see the announcement "There's a small problem".

Chapter 43, Section 102: It's Tachibana Dango, not Yukinoshita Dango.

"senior……"

This was the umpteenth time that Kiyotaka had turned back to call out to the senior who had suddenly stopped walking and was unable to move.

Since entering the cat exhibit, Yukinoshita has completely changed from her previous state of being like a frightened bird. She wished she could transform into Nyanoshita Nyano and be with all the cat angels present. Perhaps because of the cats' cute and harmless appearance and seemingly gentle nature, most of them were allowed to roam freely in this area while wearing only collars. Of course, the cat section was also divided into categories according to breed, and each small compartment was well protected, just like a series of cat cafes.

The cat grooming salon is located at the very back of the exhibition area.

Kiyoyori and Yukinoshita took nearly half an hour to walk half the distance.

Little angels always make it hard to look away, don't they?

Cats are more delicate than dogs, and the organizers seem to have taken this into account, specifically limiting the number of people who can watch the cats in each booth at the same time.

"Meow~"

Yukinoshita squatted on the ground with one arm wrapped around her knee, while the other hand skillfully scratched the chin of the cat in front of her. The blue cat showed an expression of enjoyment, and even squinted its eyes and rolled over to let the human in front of it touch its belly through the skilled movements. It was as if Yukinoshita was the reincarnation of catnip, because most of the British Shorthairs in the cubicle gathered around her, and there were even a few kittens that were playfully trying to climb on her.

Yukinoshita seemed unsure of whom she would favor, touching one for a while and scratching another.

The two were supposed to leave with the previous group of tourists who had arrived at this compartment, but seeing Yukinoshita squatting on the ground surrounded by cats, Kiyorai could only give the compartment manager an apologetic smile.

"This is the first time I've seen such a popular guest."

Seemingly noticing Qinglai's slight embarrassment, the person in charge took the initiative to strike up a conversation with her.

"She herself seemed to be enjoying it very much."

Kiyoshiro recalled the adorable expression on Yukinoshita's face when she first met Yui, a stark contrast to her appearance at school.

Are all the cats here from the nearby pet store?

"Some of them are borrowed from catteries," the person in charge answered patiently. "There are also families who are willing to lend their own cats, as well as cats that usually live in cat cafes. But please rest assured that all the cats exhibited here have been inspected by us and have health certificates and licenses."

Indeed, some of the cats' skillful customer service skills are quite different from Tuanzi's. For example, while others have already learned to act cute towards customers, Tuanzi is still trembling and shrinking on Qinglai's body.

"Are you and your cat here to participate in a beauty pageant?" The person in charge leaned close to Qinglai's shoulder. "A very beautiful Ragdoll cat, judging from its coat color, it's show-quality."

"Oh no, I brought her to this beauty salon."

Qinglai tossed the dumpling in his hand.

"The cat grooming salon is a new activity launched this year, and it's a great way to strengthen your bond together."

"Newly launched this year?"

"Yes, it was suggested by one of the organizers, who is said to be a young female college student."

Gossip seems to be in every woman's nature, and the person in charge of the British Shorthair cat section suddenly showed an excited expression when she got to this point.

A young female college student...?

Intuition told Kiyoshi that it was best not to investigate further.

On the other side, the snow was almost completely covered by cats. She had to deal with the cats rubbing against her ankles, begging for hugs and pets, while also catching the disobedient kittens that were pulling at her hair and clothes and trying to climb on her.

"Meow……"

The dumpling, clinging to Kiyoshi, let out a pitiful whimper, gazing longingly at the snow-covered figure, as if lamenting its neglect.

"Stop looking, she doesn't want you anymore."

"You poor little thing that nobody wants, you'd better stay with me today."

Kiyoshi gave a mocking smile.

It is said that 90% of people unconsciously show their childish side when they encounter cats.

"Meow……"

Tuanzi patted Qinglai's cheek with her soft paws.

"Shall we continue going in, senior?"

Kiyoshi glanced at the growing number of guests and the cats that completely ignored the other guests.

If this continues, Yukinoshita will become the public enemy of this cubicle.

"Ah."

Yukinoshita reluctantly stood up, freeing her long hair from the cat's claws before walking over to Kiyori. The cat, who had been pawing at Kiyori's shoulders, immediately stretched out its paws towards Yukinoshita, making a gesture like a baby asking for a hug. Yukinoshita then took the cat into her arms.

Kiyoshi casually stretched his shoulders.

"You two really do look like a family of three."

As the manager opened the door to the next cubicle, she jokingly addressed the two of them.

Kiyoshi was momentarily at a loss for how to react.

"I'm fine with Tuanzi, but I'd rather not with her."

Yukinoshita, carrying Dango, left the paradise full of British Shorthairs without looking back.

"Am I even worse than a cat...?"

Kiyoshi smiled wryly and nodded to the person in charge who thought he had said something wrong, then quickly caught up with Yukino.

It seemed that because of Yui's obstruction, the road to the beauty salon went very smoothly. Although they would still stay in each cubicle for a while, and the cats in the cubicles would come up one after another, Yukinoshita seemed to enjoy the satisfaction brought by Yui's closeness even more.

Kiyoshi looked rather lonely as she carried her empty cat carrier, wishing she could grab a cat on the spot and put it in the carrier to tell the person and cat walking ahead that she wasn't all alone.

What's going on? Shouldn't Yui have the surname Tachibana? How come she seems to have the intention to change her surname to Yukinoshita after meeting Yukinoshita-senpai once?

Welcome!

The receptionist at the beauty salon entrance wore a polite smile.

"Excuse me, ma'am, are you here to participate in the activity with your cat?"

"Mm." Yukinoshita nodded calmly.

Wait a minute, that looks like my cat...

Kiyoshiro followed behind Yukinoshita, opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just stood quietly behind her, being a dutiful bag carrier.

"Which package would you like to choose? We have a standard package that includes manicure and shower services, and a deluxe package that includes photo taking services in addition to the standard package."

Following the waiter's hand, Qinglai saw a photo wall covered with pictures that looked like "family photos".

Yukinoshita didn't speak, but just quietly looked at Kiyoyori. Kiyoyori understood and took out the invitation ticket. The waitress obviously showed a momentary look of surprise when she saw the invitation ticket, but her good professionalism made her return to her initial smile.

"Distinguished guests, please come this way."

Kiyori and Yukinoshita exchanged a puzzled look.